1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to towel dispensers and particularly to away-from-home type paper towel dispensers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Different types of single-use paper towel dispensers are available for the away-from-home market. For example, folded paper towel dispensers contain a stack of folded individual paper towel segments that are dispensed through a slot. Other dispensers dispense paper towel segments from a tightly wound paper roll. Such dispensers can dispense paper towel segments from perforated or continuous paper rolls. Perforated roll dispensers contain a continuous paper roll with longitudinally-spaced, transversely-extending perforations that define individual paper towel segments. In continuous roll dispensers, a continuous paper roll is cut into individual segments by a cutting device located in the dispenser.
There are continuous roll dispensers which require a user to manually sever a paper segment from the continuous roll by pulling the paper against a serrated cutting blade. Such dispensers cannot control the length of the paper segment dispensed, and are thus susceptible to paper wastage. Another type of continuous roll dispenser is known as a portion control dispenser, which automatically cuts the paper roll into paper towel segments as the paper is being dispensed from the dispenser. In one type of portion control dispenser, the paper roll is rotatably mounted inside the dispenser and a leading edge of the paper is fed through a cutting roller and out of the dispenser through a slot. The paper is advanced manually by a user operating a paper advance mechanism or pulling on the leading edge of the paper roll. When the paper advances through the dispenser, the cutting roller rotates and a knife in the cutting roller extends radially outwards and punctures the paper, thereby severing a paper towel segment from the roll. The dispenser is designed to cut the paper into segments of defined length and only one at a time, thereby reducing paper wastage.
The continuous roll dispenser can be a “hands-free” (touchless) type, i.e. designed to dispense paper towel segments without requiring the user to touch any part of the dispenser other than the leading edge of the paper roll. Such a design is particularly desirable as the user is not exposed to germs or contaminants on other parts of the dispenser.
Hands-free dispensers can be manually operated or motorized. Motorized hands-free dispensers typically have a proximity or motion sensor that detects a user's hand or hand movement. When the sensor detects a user, a motor inside the dispenser is activated. The motor is coupled to the paper roll and advances a paper segment out of the dispenser. Examples of such motorized hands-free dispensers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,772,291, 6,412,679, 6,695,246, 6,892,620, and 6,903,654. All of the dispensers disclosed in these patents require the user to manually sever a segment from the paper roll by applying the paper surface against a cutting knife, or as in the case of U.S. Pat. No. 6,412,679, tear a segment from a perforated paper towel roll. In other words, there are no known paper towel dispensers that automatically advance and cut paper towel segments.
One problem with known motorized paper towel dispensers is that such dispensers are rendered inoperable when the motor fails or when the batteries die. Also, such dispensers do not allow the user to withdraw paper from the dispenser at a rate faster than the rate at which the paper is being automatically advanced. Impatient users may become frustrated while waiting for the paper to be dispensed, or worse, may damage the dispenser by pulling on the paper towel as it is being dispensed. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide an automated hands-free towel dispenser that solves at least some of these problems.